Oliver's projects

2007 was a strange year. Early in February, I was diagnosed with MDS, a pre-leukemia disease. Over the next months it progressed to full-blown leukemia, and the year was taken up by many medical procedures, months in the hospital, bodily concerns I could hardly imagine only a few months earlier. Gigs were out of the question. But music for me did not stop. I moved to Toronto for treatments and to be close to family and friends. While I was waiting for treatment, I got busy recording.

OLIVER SCHROER : Hymns and Hers (2007, Big Dog)

NEW! From Camino fiddler Oliver Schroer, a lush album of Hymns and more….

HYMNS AND HERS

“I had long wanted to make an album of hymns and introspective ensemble pieces. When I was diagnosed with leukemia early in 2007, it felt like a perfect time to dig into this project. While I was waiting for treatment in Toronto, I recorded and assembled this CD. Some of the tunes felt like they belonged here, but they did not feel like Hymns. What were they? One day I realized. These tunes were the ‘Hers’. The other part of the divine duality. Hymns and Hers.”

“This is a lush album with production values harking back to earlier CDs like Jigzup.

I felt that I had taken my solo violin performance as far as I could for the present with Camino. I will keep performing that material as soon as I am able, and it is certainly close to my heart and soul. But I wanted to get back to a big sound – lots of fiddles, lots of voices, lots of trumpet. And I was drawing on a community of musical friends. My life journey now was much less independent and solo, and much more grounded in community. And this CD reflects that, while expressing some of the soulfulness of Camino.”

HYMNS & HERS will be officially released early in 2008. But it is in production right now, and I will have product shortly. I am making the album available to fans and friends through my website. As the Christmas mail rush is upon us, I cannot guarantee delivery before Christmas at this point. But I can guarantee that the album will sound just as good a few days after Christmas as on the day, so I encourage you to pick up your copy.

Hymns and Hers

New Compositions from Oliver Schroer, with special guests:

ENTHRALLED

In January of 2007, I did a show in Glasgow at the Celtic Connections Festival with a talented traditional flute player called Nuala Kennedy. We had got to know each other teaching at the Sunshine Coast Celtic Music camp the previous summer, and I was very happy when she asked me to be part of the show. Every year, Celtic Connections sponsors three up and coming artistes to create an hour’s worth of new music and present it at the festival. Nuala’s show Astar (Journeys) was a part of this programme.

We talked about doing more collaborating, and started to exchange tunes and ideas. In March, she came over to Canada and we went into the studio to record. The idea was to do a CD of her music and mine, using backup musicians from both sides of the Atlantic. We did a lot of work in the studio with Bill Brennan on piano – I love Bill’s lyrical style and he happened to be in Toronto from Newfoundland where he currently resides. Also joining us in the studio was Joe Macerollo who has worked extensively with R.Murray Schafer, as well as groups such as Quartetto Gelato. Nuala is currently recording with Scottish musicians, and I will be adding my fiddle and doing the editing and mixing as soon as I am able.

The sound of this CD is more traditional, but full of surprises – both of us have a whacky sense of composition which is grounded in the tradition but at the same time pushes the envelope.

Release due in early 2008

Check out some sound bytes

Green Lady (Nuala)

The Whispering Wind (Oliver)

The Twisted String

TWISTED STRING, SECOND GENERATION

Two of the original Twisted Stringers, Chelsea Sleep and Emilyn Stam, who are both teaching in the Vancouver/Victoria area, decided to reactivate The Twisted String. This was my learning and performance group of talented young fiddlers that was active from 2003 ‘til 2006, playing and performing throughout BC. Although I am now in Toronto, and they are out West, we will work closely together – I am creating new repertoire for this group, and Chelsea and Emilyn will oversee the creative anarchy! I’m particularly pleased about the resurgence of this project.

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